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“Avoid the Troll Trap”

Intellectual Property Magazine06/08/15 Martha J. Snyder

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Below is an excerpt:

It used to be that only patent lawyers and companies in the high-tech industry were familiar with the term “patent troll” (also known as a “non-practising entity” or “NPE”). Yet, the ‘business model’ established by the original patent trolls has gained popularity and now companies across all industries and of all sizes have been hit.

Patent trolls take advantage of one of the foundations of the patent system: that patentholders are permitted to exclude others from using their patented technology without a licence. Patent trolls also take advantage of an unfortunate reality: the high cost of litigating patent infringement suits in federal courts, even if the accused infringer ultimately wins.